MT. ULU SEPAT (31 AUGUST 2006 TO 3 SEPTEMBER 2006)

First of all, I would like to thank Kam Meng on the information on this Ulu Sepat trip and some advice and information given before the trip .  This was my first hiking experience to one of the 7^th highest summit in Peninsular Malaysia (G7 summit).  Initially I was not supposed to be in the team hiking to Mt. Ulu Sepat.  Due to some members pulling out approximately 2 weeks before the trip, there were some vacancies.  I was informed by Kam Meng on this trip via email 2 days before the hiking trip to Mt. Swettenham on 19 August 2006.

 

Location: Perak

Height: 2,161 metres (7,091 feet), 7^th highest mountain in Peninsular Malaysia and the least climbed G7 summit.

Number of participants: 5

Participants list:

1. Lam Wai Seak (Captain)

2. Ong Siew Chin (Tiger)

3. Jeremy Tan

4. Wong Ken Tat

5. Lim Fang Hau

 

Equipment:

1. Torch light

2. Gloves

3. Backpack

4. Hiking boots

5. Slippers

6. Whistle

7. Penknife

8. Mess tin

9. Fork & spoon

10. Digital camera

11. Raisin (for extra energy)

12. Solid fuel

13. Clothes for 4 days 3 nights

14. Toiletries

15. Deuter pouch

16. Small knapsack

17. Sleeping mat

18. Sleeping bag

19. Wind breaker

20. Sweater

21. Poncho (rain coat)

22. 500 ml isotonic drink

23. 4 litres of water

24. Extra plastic bags

25. Stationeries

26. First aid kit

27. Flag (Jalur Gemilang)

 

30 August 2006

 

Departed from Petaling Jaya at time 2145 hrs for Gerik via the PLUS Expressway.  In my mind, I was wondering whether I could reach the G7 summit as this was my first time going to the G7 summit.  I was the youngest member and the least experienced hikers among the 5 members.  All the 4 members had in the past reached other G7 summit but none of us had reached the Ulu Sepat summit.

 

31 August 2006 (National day)

 

Reached Gerik at time 0105 hrs.  Checked in into Rome motel, located next to Maybank, in front of the only traffic light in Gerik.  Hap supper at nearby a Malay stall and later bathed.  Slept at time 0230 hrs.

 

Woke up at time 0700 hrs and checked out of Rome motel.  Our van driver, Hussien, was waiting for us in front of the motel.  Tiger went to the police station to lodge a report but was unable to do so as the officer in charge was not around.  We just proceeded without the permit issued by the police. 

 

Had our breakfast at a stall located 5 minutes drive from the motel.  Packed some Indian vegetarian food for lunch.  Reached Hussien’s house to park our car at time 0841 hrs.  Later departed from Hussien’s house to Temenggor Lake.  Reached Pengkalan Trojan, which is nearby Temenggor Lake at time 0945 hrs.  There was a floating police station manned by 3 staff.  We managed to lodge a police report before proceeded.  We left the jetty at time 1010 hrs by boat to Pos Kemar.  At time 1110, we reached Pos Kemar.  We had to wait for approximately 1.5 hours for our 4-wheel drive (4WD) vehicle to arrive. 

 

We passed by Kampung Rantau before reaching Kampung Lelar at time 1340hrs.  We had our lunch first.  We met another group of hikers of 10 from B.P. Guild.  They drove all the way by 4WD from Lasah.  We unpacked those non-essential items i.e. items required for the last day of the trip at Kampung Lelar.  Our guide was Emat, engaged for RM60/- a day and we shall provide him with food and accommodation.  I was assigned to carry some food for the first day cooking at the campsite.  Other equipment was carried by Emat. 

 

We left Kampung Lelar at time 1400 hrs.  Approximately after 15 minutes, we crossed a steam.  Approximately 15 minutes later, we crossed a small stream.  Later we entered into a big bamboo forest.  The route was uphill and down hill with a gradient of around 45 to 50 degrees.  Five minutes later, we crossed a narrow bridge.  We met up with a member of the B.P. Guild and a guide who was left behind from the main group.  We took a short break before continuing our journey.  At 1530 hrs, we crossed a small stream.  Ten minutes later, we crossed a small narrow bridge.  Then, it started to rain heavily.  We had to put on our raincoat / poncho.  The surface was slippery when raining.  The trail at certain path was narrow.  I passed by the most dangerous stretch (from my own observation) whereby the path was narrow (can only be crossed by 1 person only) and slippery.  I had to lean against the hill slope on my right and hold on to the tree roots and hill slope to cross the slippery stretch.  If you are not careful, you may slip down the bamboo forest (approximately 10 metres deep).  Our pace was slowed down by heavy rain.

 

At time 1720 hrs, we crossed a narrow bridge.  At time 1740 hrs, we passed by 3 native houses belonging to Emat’s grandparents.  At approximately 1800 hrs, we reached the first campsite.  It was still raining at that time.  We camped overnight near the river.  The rain stopped during the night but it was cold at night.  The night temperature can drop to 16 degree Celsius. Slept at time 2200 hrs after having some supper.

 

1 September 2006

 

Woke up at time 0645 hrs to have our breakfast.  After breakfast, did some cleaning up and clearing the camping area.  Left some wet clothes and rubbish hanging at the campsite as we will be back tomorrow to collect it.

 

At time 0845 hrs, we left Lanweng campsite.  Had to cross the river before the ascend started.  From here onwards, it was all the way up to the summit.  The steepness of the trail was around 40 to 50 degrees.  At certain point, had to cross over the fallen tree and hold on to the tree roots.  Some of the tree roots were not solid and had to be very careful when holding on to it. 

 

At time 1030 hrs, we reached the open area where the first false peak and Ulu Sepat peak could be viewed.  Later reached the last water point 10 minutes later.  I did not manage to follow the others down to get the water as I got lost half way.  The trail downwards to get the water was steep.  Luckily, I have sufficient water for usage.  According to Lam, it took them 10 minutes to go down to get the water and another 10 minutes up.  At time 1110 hrs, we continued hiking.  At time 1225 hrs, we reached the beautiful mossy forest.  I really love this kind of unspoilt nature of Ulu Sepat.  There were pitcher plants and other beautiful flora around.  The trek at certain point was quite muddy.  I could feel it as we were almost reaching the summit.  The sky was getting brighter and brighter.  We passed by a few false peak.  At time 1325 hrs, we reached the Y-junction.  If you take the left turn which was purposely blocked by tree roots, it will lead you to Mt. Chammah.  So our guide led us to the right turn.  From here onwards, the trek was really muddy.  The mud can go up to around 30 cm from your foot.  You may even loose your hiking shoe in the mud.  We had to walk on the side way at certain point to avoid the deep mud.  When getting nearer to the summit, we bumped into another group of hikers from B. P. Guild coming down from the summit.  They hike up the summit with their light backpack and hike down to Lanweng campsite for overnight before descending to Kampung Lelar the next day.

 

Finally, at time 1404 hrs, I was the first one to reach the summit of Ulu Sepat with the guide.  The others arrived a few minutes later.  There were bees flying around us.  We lighted the incense and mosquito coil to keep the bees away.  The view on the summit was blocked by trees and vegetation.  The summit can accommodate 4 tents.  We set up our flysheet besides the small standing tree whereby the sign board of Mt. Ulu Sepat was hanging around.  Since it was one day after the National Day, we decided to tie our flag (Jalur Gemilang) on the tree. 

 

Rested for a few hours before started to help out in cooking dinner.  At approximately time 1710 while helping out to cook dinner, a group of hikers of 7 from FYC and 2 guides arrived.  They were on their way down from Mt. Chammah, i.e. hiking the Trans Chammah - Ulu Sepat trail.  The first one to arrive was Ghee Beng with a guide.  Ghee Beng was shirtless when hiking.  Evanna, Miow Chin’s friend, was also in the FYC group.  There were scars as a result of cuts from tree thorns around his body.  The pace of the FYC group was quite fast.  The first and the last persons distance was 30 minutes away.   

 

I managed to witness the sunset on the summit of Mt.Ulu Sepat.  This was the first time for me witnessing the sunset on the mountain summit.  The view of the sunset was magnificent and wonderful.  After dinner, we had Ginseng soup.  The weather at night as cold with temperature falling to less than 20 degrees Celsius.  Later at around time 2200 hrs we slept.

 

2 September 2006       

 

Woke up at time 0330 hrs.  Heard some noise from the next campsite on the summit.  Did not know what they were doing in the early hours of the morning (noisy).  Decided to continue sleeping as it was raining.  Woke up at time 0645 hrs to witness the sunrise but had no mood to do so as it was still raining.  It had been raining since midnight.  The temperature was around 16 degrees Celsius.  Decided to continue sleeping until time 0730 hrs.

 

Woke up at time 0730 hrs to have breakfast.  After breakfast, started to pack up.  Descended from the summit at time 0930 hrs.  At approximately time 1100 hrs, we reached the last water point.  Took a short break before continuing the descend.  On the way descending down, I accidentally hurt my right finger, as I was not careful when holding the tree roots with thorns.  My right thumb was bleeding and it was near the river.  So I decided to hold on to it until I cross the river near Lanweng campsite.  Had to apply some anti-septic cream and plaster from my personal first aid kit.  Had a quick lunch near the river and collected the rubbish that was left over by us on 31 August 2006 before continuing at time 1250 hrs. 

 

Later we dropped by Emat’s grand parents hut for a short break.  Continued our journey.  As we were approaching the native village, it was raining heavily.  The trail was slippery and I had slipped many times.  Others were moving quite fast and I was moving at a slower pace due to insufficient food intake during lunch.  I was feeling quite hungry and my right toe was hurting when hiking downwards.  I told myself that I should not push myself as the native village was getting nearer and safety was the most important issue.  At one point, I felt like cursing the condition of the jungle.  It was quite slippery and uncomfortable but I had to respect the jungle no matter how harsh the condition was.  At approximately time 1615, we managed to reach the native village.  Felt tired and hungry after the hike.  The other group of hikers arrived at time 1720 hrs.  We had our dinner at time 1900 hrs and supper later. 

 

We exchanged some leftover food with the other group.  After dinner, we mingled around with the other group to listen to their Trans Chammah – Ulu Sepat hiking journey.  Slept at time 2200 hrs at the native village.

 

3 September 2006

 

Woke up at time 0700 hrs for breakfast.  After breakfast, we packed our stuffs for departure to Gerik.  The 4WD driver was supposed to come to pick us up at time 0800 hrs.  This did not materialise.  We had to wait until approximately time 0930 hrs for the 4WD driver to arrive.  We kissed goodbye to Kg. Lelar and other group and hope that we would be able to meet them one day.  Our 4WD passed through the bumpy logging trek and we arrived at the Pos Kemar jetty at approximately time 1000 hrs.  Fifteen minutes later our boat arrived.  We left Pos Kemar for Pengkalan Trojen.  Before reaching halfway, our boat engine encountered some problem due to insufficient fuel.  The boat had to be slowly diverted back to Pos Kemar for repair.  Approximately at time 1050 hrs, the boat driver managed to overcome the engine problem.  We departed for Pos Kemar.  Along the way, we snapped some pictures of the scenic view of Temenggor lake.  At approximately time 1145 hrs, we finally arrived at Pengkalan Trojen.  Our van driver, Hussien waited for us at the marine police station.  We departed from Pengkalan Trojen to Gerik.  We arrived at Hussien’s house at time 1230 hrs to retrieve our car.  Later we had our lunch at a restaurant in Gerik town called 新江酒楼*.  After lunch, we left Gerik at time 1420 hrs.  We took a break at Tapah R & R at approximately time 1545 hrs.  We reached Petaling Jaya at approximately time 1800 hrs.

 

Although this was the first time hiking at Ulu Sepat, I note that this mountain was quite manageable in terms of physical fitness and condition of the trail.  Overall, this was my third time joining the overnight backpacking trip.  It was quite fun, memorable and enjoyable.  I was quite satisfied especially when reaching the summit, camping at the summit, snapping sunset photos and working as a team together to achieve our unfulfilled objective.  If I were to be given a chance, I love revisit this mountain again, most probably going through Lasah via 4WD instead of Gerik (via van, boat and 4WD).  Hopefully, there is an opportunity for me to revisit this mountain again in the future.

 

Stay tune for 10 interesting facts on my hiking trip to Ulu Sepat.

 

Note:   

*           I have to apologise as I had forgotten the English name of the seafood restaurant.  The seafood was quite delicious and it is recommended to have lunch or dinner there especially after coming down from Ulu Sepat.